• Swarms arrive in the late Winter and Spring, often mistaken for termites.

Habits

• Odour - produce an agreeable citronella smell when crushed.

• Nesting – varies from open woods, pastures, gardens, lawns, next to house foundations. Colonies sometimes found beneath concrete slabs, large rocks, or rotting logs. Colonies have mounds of soil around the openings.

Fire Ant

Solenopsis spp

Appearance

• Queens 15mm long.

• Workers 3–6mm long.

• Coppery–brown on the head and body, with a darker abdomen.

• Solenopsis has a very distinctive two–segment antennal club, which is most visible in the front view of the female reproductive ant.

Lifecycle

• After swarming from the nest and mating the queen searches for a suitable spot to lay her eggs. Once found, she can lay up to 125 eggs in late spring.

• Larvae hatch within 8 to 10 days, and the pupal stage lasts for 9 to 16 days.

• Larvae feed on secretions from the queen’s salivary glands and broken down wing muscles until the first worker ants emerge. After this first batch of larvae moult into workers the queen’s role returns to egg laying – she can lay up to 1500 per day. Worker ants continue with larval care, nest building and food foraging.

• Swarming characteristics — new colonies are often formed through nests that have been disturbed e.g., as a result of insecticide spray treatments. Each queen produces up to 3500 eggs in its lifetime.

• Nest locations — deep seated in cavities in heated buildings. Often found in hospitals. Associated with humid conditions. Colonies can range from a few dozen to 300,000 individuals.

Roger's Ant

Hypoponera punctatissima

Appearance

• Reddish brown in colour.

• Workers 2mm long.

• 1 large segment at the pedicel.

• 1st two segments of the abdomen are constricted.

• Sting present.

Lifecycle

• Little is known about the life cycle.

Habits

• Workers forage randomly and lay no trails as live prey are hunted, especially springtails. Rarely seen outdoors.

• Swarming characteristics — will swarm all year round. Winged adults are often found in electric fly killers.